Rain hampers search for survivors of Texas explosion [Update]

Even as as President Obama pledged federal assistance to the devastated community, morning rainfall was hampering search and rescue efforts Thursday at the site of the West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion, which killed as many as 15 people and injured 160.

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said more than 200 law enforcement officers from throughout Texas are trying to recover bodies from the debris and rescue possible survivors.

The explosion destroyed and damaged homes and leveled apartment buildings within a half-mile radius of the close-knit town, located about 20 miles north of Waco.

McNamara, who has been sheriff for just four months, said he wouldn’t have a full count of the dead and missing until later in the day.

“This is heartbreaking. There’s no other way to describe it,” he said. “The devastation was unbelievable.”

Obama, in Boston to attend a memorial service for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, called Texas Gov. Rick Perry from Air Force One to tell him that his prayers are with the people of West, aides said.

He offered any federal resources that may be needed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other offices, a White House statement said.

The president also placed a call to the mayor of West, but has not yet reached the official, the aides said.

Waco police Sgt. William Swanton told "CBS This Morning" that “there is nothing at this point to indicate this is a criminal issue,” but he stressed that “we don’t know” what happened.

Residents of the community rushed to care for hundreds displaced by the blast. Evacuation centers that were established for residents were mostly empty Thursday, as people who had fled their homes were being sheltered by their neighbors, an evacuation site coordinator said.

Rescuers were going door-to-door Thursday morning in neighborhoods decimated by the explosion at the West, Texas, fertilizer plant, searching in closets and under beds for residents after a massive blast that killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160, officials said.

Three or four firefighters who are among the missing “were our first responders,” Waco police Sgt. William Swanton told reporters at a news conference early Thursday. “They were the ones who went to the scene ... and were actually fighting the fire as the explosion occurred.”

One volunteer firefighter who was previously listed as missing was found at an area hospital, but his condition as unknown, Swanton said.

Authorities from nearby Waco were assisting West officials in rescue and investigation efforts.

Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled to speak about the disaster later Thursday morning in Austin, as investigators from all levels of government descend on West, a town of 2,800, to try to determine the cause of the explosion that leveled four blocks.

President Obama, in Boston for an interfaith service for victims of the bombing at the city's marathon, said in a statement that the administration "is in close contact with our state and local partners on the ground to make sure there are no unmet needs."

“West is a town that many Texans hold near and dear to their hearts, and as residents continue to respond to this tragedy, they will have the support of the American people,” the president said.

As search and rescue operations were underway, officials were watching a storm system that is moving into the area. Any resulting rain would make the searches more difficult but could slow the spread of a chemical plume from the fire, Swanton said.

He added thatthe tight-knit, family-oriented community had pulled together for those who have lost their homes.

“You talk about leaning on each others’ shoulders? They are absolutely doing that,” he said. “I can promise you, the city of West’s citizens will not let a person stand out in the rain, whether they know you or not, they will bring you into their home and you will be comfortable.”

As many as 15 dead, 160 wounded | 5:36 a.m. PDT

An explosion shattered a fertilizer plant in a rural Texas town, flattened blocks of homes and businesses and left as many as 15 people dead and more than 160 injured, officials said Thursday morning.

Hours after the explosion tore through the heart of West, Texas, a town of about 2,800 people in the north-central portion of the state, hundreds of firefighters and first responders were still battling the remnants of the blaze at the West Fertilizer Co.

“They are still getting injured folks out, and they are evacuating people from their homes,” Waco police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said early Thursday morning.

“At some point this will turn into a recovery operation, but at this point, we are still in search and rescue,” he said.